It has become increasingly
common for patients with schizophrenia to be on more than one antipsychotic
medication concurrently. In fact, in most mental health systems approximately
1/3 of patients are taking two antipsychotics, and a small percentage are taking
more than two.

The critical question: Does this provide meaningful
differential effectiveness or are there hidden dangers associated with co
prescribing? The answer is, frustratingly, we don't know. However, there are
some overriding principles which can help guide this practice.

1.
Monotherapy (only one antipsychotic) is always best, if it works.

2.
Cross-tapering of antipsychotics, when moving from one agent to another, is an
appropriate time to co administer antipsychotics